The main objective of this training day will be to learn about the particular needs of People Living with Parkinson's (PlwPD) and their care partners, and to suggest the most successful ways to apply Alexander principles when working with this population.

The second objective is to train participants in the mission and strategic model of The Poise Project so that they can become part of regional teams involved in our ongoing AT4PD initiative.

The training day will be led by Monika Gross, Executive Director of The Poise Project.

Included will be training sections videotaped of Dr. Maya Katz, a movement disorder specialist at University of California San Francisco, as well as videos from people living with Parkinson's and their care partners who have benefitted from AT and are advocating for it as part of our AT4PD initiative.

We are reaching out to PlwPD and care partners from the local community who we will be invited to attend an informal 90-minute workshop during the training day. In this way the training day participants will be able to have the opportunity to work with them and receive their feedback.

See more photos from our Poise TuneUP! stations at Moving Day's across the country at this LINK

The Poise Project has a grant from the Parkinson's Foundation to deliver classes for care partners of PlwPD at eight sites in North Carolina in 2017-2018. We have received a second grant to expand this program into Washington DC in 2018-2019. We will be working to expand this and other programs into Southern California. We will also be working to initiate patient referral programs in partnership with area neurologists, as we have in place now in the Bay Area.

In relation to these programs, we are applying for funding for research projects to measure the efficacy and long term retention of AT training for PlwPD as compared to exercise programs and other interventions.

Teachers who participate in this day of training will be considered part of the pool of teachers we will draw from for our future class programming and research projects for PlwPD and care partners as new classes are created and regional expansion occurs.

Our focus during this training day will be on how AT can help PlwPD develop practical skills for more independent self-management of motor symptoms affecting their balance, gait and postural tone, including falls, freezing, forward neck posture and slowed movement, as well as non-motor symptoms such as anxiety, apathy, low volume speech, swallowing, and sleep interruption.

AT can offer PlwPD hope and increase their confidence, independence, and overall quality of life. AT can help them chose optimal postural tone and improve their overall functioning during iADLs (instrumental activities of daily living). It can also give tremendous support and a more positive outlook to the spouses and other family members and care partners of PlwPD and greatly reduce caregiver burden and burnout. Training their care partners at the same time helps them learn how to cue PlwPD when cognitive decline may be present, which is often a later stage aspect of PD.

The second half of the training day will include a focus on the particular needs of care partners of PlwPD, and can be generalized to how AT can support care partners in many situations, especially when the care receivers have cognitive decline. It will focus on how to deliver AT in a way that gives practical ongoing skills for care partners to manage the physical and emotional demands of caregiving.

REGISTRATION LINKSpace is limited, so please book early!

AT workshop led by Monika Gross at the Constructive Teaching Centre in London, October 2016

Some of the topics we will cover:

Definition of Parkinson's and symptoms

Current research in AT for PD

How traditional AT educational methodology can be adapted for this population and some best practices as recommended by AT teachers with expertise in the field

Working with middle and late stage PlwPD, particularly when there is cognitive decline.

Emotional and psychological considerations when working with individuals with a degenerative disease, both for participants and for teachers

The realities of financial concerns when delivering AT for PlwPD and a discussion of how we can work together to find future solutions to removing barriers to access

How best to talk about AT to the medical care providers, allied health professionals, and research scientists that you may come in contact with in the field of Parkinson's disease and when advocating for AT for this population

Report on THE POISE PROJECT AT for PD initiative and our targeted team presence at the 4th World Parkinson Congress in Portland OR in September 2016 as well as our continued broad outreach across the US and internationally, including launching an "International AT for PD Year of Awareness" in February 2018 in London and Dublin.

How to include care partners to support learning and increase retention of AT principles for PlwPD, as well as to give them self-management skills to address the serious stresses of their own circumstances. Report on THE POISE PROJECT "Partnering with Poise" care partner courses that have been delivered at eight sites across North Carolina funded by the Parkinson's Foundation, and it's IRB research study through the University of Idaho managed by AT teacher and research scientist, Dr. Rajal Cohen.

SCHEDULE

9:30am-2:00pm Briefing on The Poise Project mission and strategic model & basic training for working with PlwPD

2:00pm-3:00pm Lunch break

3:00pm-4:30pm An AT workshop for PlwPD and their care partners invited from the local Parkinson's community

4:30pm-5:30pm Debriefing Discussion re workshop

5:30pm-6:45pm Basic training for working with Care Partners -- not only specifically of PwP but also in general the physical and emotional demands on caregivers, especially in cases of care receivers with physical and cognitive decline

6:45pm-7:30pm Questions, Sharing and Next Steps

MONIKA GROSS is Executive Director of The Poise Project, a nonprofit with the mission of maintaining natural poise and continuous personal growth throughout all stages and challenges of life through the principles of Alexander technique (AT). The Poise Project is committed to removing barriers and making AT available across socio-economic groups and to those with chronic conditions. It has received a $25,000 Parkinson's Foundation 2017 Moving Day® Community Grant to deliver AT-based classes to care partners of people living with Parkinson's disease at six sites across North Carolina. She has conducted this AT or Parkinson's teacher training and established a patient referral program in the Bay Area in partnership with Dr. Maya Katz, a movement disorder specialist at UCSF.

Monika had her first AT lesson in 1976 and was certified in 1985 in Lydia Yohay's (ACAT) teacher training program in NYC. She is a teaching member of the American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSAT) and Alexander Technique International (ATI), as well as a member of the local regional AT teacher consortium Alexander Teachers of the Mountain Region (ATMR). She is also a Registered Somatic Movement Educator with the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA). Monika holds a BFA in Drama from the North Carolina School of the Arts.

Monika is co-owner of Form Fitness & Functiona, and has a private AT practice in Asheville and in Charlotte NC. She also offers AT training via Skype or Zoom.

DR. MAYA KATZ is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the UCSF Movement Disorders and Neuromodulation Center. She specializes in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, dystonia and other movement disorders. Her research interests include identifying disease modification strategies and improving outcomes for patients treated with deep brain stimulation. She is also interested in developing multidisciplinary clinical approaches that incorporate palliative care principles.

Dr. Katz obtained her medical degree at Cornell University. She completed her residency in Neurology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, where she served as chief resident. She then completed her Movement Disorders Fellowship at UCSF in 2013. Dr. Katz is board certified in Neurology and is an active member of the American Academy of Neurology and the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.